Logitech MX Mechanical Review Roundup: 10 Experts

Who it’s for

The Logitech MX Mechanical (full-size, with an integrated numpad 1) is a wireless, low-profile mechanical keyboard for people who move between a laptop, a desktop and a tablet. Logitech says Easy-Switch lets it connect to up to three devices 1, and its spec sheet lists a Logi Bolt receiver alongside Bluetooth Low Energy 2. CG Magazine singles out instant device switching as a highlight 3, and Console Creatures found it easy to set up with other computers 4.

Its best-received verdicts frame it as an office board. Trusted Reviews says it is “arguably one of the best office-based mechanical keyboards money can buy right now” 5, and Reviewed calls the Brown-style Tactile Quiet switches good for an office 6. PCWorld adds that Windows and macOS are detected automatically, with the functions for both printed on the same keys 7.

Several kinds of buyer should look elsewhere:

• Anyone who wants a cable. Tom’s Hardware, Tom’s Guide and Console Creatures each list the missing wired mode as a drawback 894.
• Competitive gamers. Reviewed measured about 13 to 16 ms of input latency and says that is too high for competitive play 6.
• Tinkerers. How-To Geek lists the lack of hot-swappable switches as a con 10.
• Buyers outside the Logitech ecosystem. How-To Geek would not buy it at $169.99 unless staying in that ecosystem is the main concern 10, and Tom’s Hardware says anyone not committed to Logi Flow or Logitech’s ecosystem has more affordable options with similar functionality 8.

What reviewers praise

Typing feel. Laptop Mag lists awesome mechanical switches among its pros, recorded 91 wpm at 98% accuracy on a typing test against 89 wpm on the MX Keys Mini, and concludes that it is “a good keyboard that is a joy to type on” 11. Trusted Reviews describes a soft tactile bump about halfway down a short keypress that suits typing and light gaming 5. CG Magazine, coming from Cherry MX switches, calls the typing experience excellent 3. SlashGear used the linear red switches for about three months and found them quieter than a membrane keyboard and smooth without lubrication 12. Console Creatures, for whom this was a first mechanical keyboard, rates the tactile keys as excellent and reports less wrist strain after switching 4.

Build and design. Trusted Reviews lists great build quality as a pro 5, SlashGear calls the build top-notch 12, and CG Magazine describes it as premium and sturdy, with a metal-reinforced plate that adds some weight 3. Laptop Mag lists the design as attractive and adds that the chassis is 45% post-consumer recycled plastic around a low-carbon aluminum plate 11. The fold-out feet add eight degrees of tilt 11.

Battery life. Logitech’s own ratings are 10 months with the backlight off and 15 days with it on 2. Trusted Reviews says the 10-month claim held up in its use, with no recharge needed while writing the review 5. Console Creatures charged once in a month of two to eight hours of daily use 4, and SlashGear got 15 to 20 days with eight to ten hours of daily use 12. How-To Geek lists substantial battery life as a pro 10.

Backlighting. Console Creatures lists excellent backlighting as a pro 4, and How-To Geek’s pros include backlighting too 10. PCWorld describes seven brightness levels with a few effects, dimming after about 30 seconds and waking by a presence sensor 7.

Common criticisms

Price. This is the most repeated complaint. Trusted Reviews calls the keyboard relatively expensive at $169.99, about $20 more than the MX Keys 5. Tom’s Guide says that at $170 it “seems at least $20 more expensive than it ought to be” 9. SlashGear names the steep price as the main obstacle, at about $150 for the 75% version and $170 for the full-size 12. Laptop Mag lists the $169 price as a con 11, Console Creatures lists it as pricey 4, and How-To Geek lists a high price 10.

Keycaps and stabilizers. How-To Geek found the keycaps wobble and sit slightly crooked, the stabilizers rattle, and the rigid switches led to frequent typos 10. SlashGear lists mediocre keycap quality, finds the thin floating keycaps wobbly, and says ABS may not be fitting for the keyboard’s high price, though it adds that the keys do not feel cheap to touch 12.

Limited remapping. Logi Options+ is the recurring target. Tom’s Guide says only 23 keys can be remapped and that Smart Actions require a Logitech account 9. How-To Geek and Reviewed each put the figure at 24 keys 106. CG Magazine says it lacks custom macros 3, and Trusted Reviews finds the software light for the price 5. Laptop Mag calls the choice to replace the MX Keys’ Launchpad and Mission Control keys with emoji and mic-mute keys baffling, though it notes every function key can be remapped 11.

Wrist support. PCWorld says the keys are tall enough that a wrist rest is needed 7. Tom’s Hardware lists as a con that it won’t work with standard wrist rests 8. Tom’s Guide, Console Creatures and Reviewed each note that none is included 946.

Backlight behavior. SlashGear calls the automatic backlight finicky, saying it can shut off in bright ambient light with no override and sometimes returns only after the light changes or the keyboard is restarted 12. Tom’s Guide also lists no NumLock indicator 9.

Chassis flex. Trusted Reviews sees a little deck flex on the full-size model despite its aluminum top plate 5. How-To Geek also reports slight flex, but says it was never noticeable while typing 10.

Where reviewers disagree

Is it pleasant to type on? Trusted Reviews, Laptop Mag, CG Magazine and Console Creatures are positive about the switches 51134, but How-To Geek lists switch feel as a con and concludes that the typing experience “is not worth Smart Illumination and a long battery life” 10. Tom’s Guide gives a conditional answer: the tactile bump is less pronounced than a Cherry Brown and may feel squishy to someone used to full-height Browns, and a user with prior mechanical experience may find the switches a little too gritty 9. CG Magazine, which came from Cherry MX switches, calls its typing experience excellent 3. Reviewers also did not all use the same switch: SlashGear tested the linear version, while Trusted Reviews and Tom’s Guide used the tactile one 1259.

How loud is it? PCWorld calls it very noisy despite the Quiet switches and places the blame on the frame and suspension rattling, not the switches themselves 7. Tom’s Guide found the tactile switches notably quieter than a typical Brown switch 9, and SlashGear found its linear switches quieter than strokes on a membrane keyboard 12. How-To Geek measured typing noise in the low to mid 60 dB range, consistent with a Brown switch, with metallic pings on standalone keys 10. These accounts are not strictly contradictory, since PCWorld and the others describe different things, but a buyer who is sensitive to noise gets mixed signals.

Is the customization software strong or weak? Tom’s Hardware lists powerful customization software as a pro, while also listing that not every key can be remapped 8. Trusted Reviews says the lack of software-based customization may not please some buyers 5, and Tom’s Guide lists limited key and backlight customization as a con 9.

Does the battery live up to the rating? Trusted Reviews calls battery life excellent 5, and SlashGear got more than Logitech’s backlight-on figure 12. PCWorld lists only average battery life as a con, with about 20 percent used in three days, which it says matches Logitech’s 15-day figure 7. Reviewed got 8 to 9 days of mixed work and gaming, short of that figure 6, and Tom’s Guide saw the low-battery indicator after a little over a week at moderate brightness 9. The reviewers used different amounts of backlighting and daily hours, so the numbers are not directly comparable.

Is it a gaming keyboard too? Laptop Mag lists good for work and play as a pro and says it also works well for FPS gaming, a comment based on a single Halo Infinite test 11. Reviewed calls the latency fine for casual gaming but too high for competitive play 6, and Trusted Reviews says it has high latency and no macro keys, making it a poor gaming value 5.

Backlight quality. Console Creatures rates the backlighting as excellent 4, while SlashGear calls the automatic behavior finicky 12.

Alternatives

Reviewers name few specific rivals. How-To Geek suggests the Keychron K6 or K8, or the Satechi Slim X2 or Keychron K3 for a low-profile board 10. Tom’s Hardware says buyers who aren’t committed to Logi Flow or the Logitech ecosystem have more affordable options with similar functionality, without naming them in its summary 8.

Within Logitech’s own range, Logitech sells a space-saving Logitech MX Mechanical Mini alongside the full-size model 1, and SlashGear prices its 75% version at about $150 against $170 for the full-size model 12. The older MX Keys is the cheaper option inside the family: Trusted Reviews puts the MX Mechanical about $20 above it and calls the mechanical switches a major upgrade on the MX Keys’ scissor-actuated ones 5. Laptop Mag puts the gap at $50 over the original MX Keys, so the two outlets disagree on the difference and neither explains why 11. Tom’s Hardware notes that until this release Logi Flow was limited to the MX Keys series, which is relevant for anyone who mainly wants that feature 8.

PCWorld says the board fell short of the expectations set by Logitech’s flat keyboards, citing the rattling construction 7.